Thunderstorms & Unfinished Songs
by Kachie
Summary: Ally has finally joined Team Austin on tour just in time for a Zalien Movie Marathon! With Trish and Dez pulling an all-nighter at the cinema, Austin and Ally are left alone on the bus to work on Ally's incomplete songs and maybe figure out what the heck is going on with their relationship. (Rating may increase depending on where my muse takes me)
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Austin & Ally or the lyrics to Avril Lavigne's "Falling Fast"

Thunderstorms & Unfinished Songs

It's been five days since I joined Team Austin on tour. Five amazing, fun-filled, oh my god I'm getting sick of pancakes (don't tell Austin) days. No longer do I spend my afternoons twirling random strangers around my father's store. Nope, got the real thing right here. Not that we've been twirling every day, just the one twirl really. A really good one, too. Much better than anything I ever imagined. And the way he smelled - a mixture of mint, pancake syrup, and a few other things that don't seem like they would work well together and yet, they just do. But I'm getting off topic. Where was I? Oh yes, five fun-filled days with my three very best friends, two of which were surprising me in a way that wasn't really surprising at all.

"You guys brought your zalien costumes on tour?" Trish and Dez looked at me like I had three heads. The people decked out in full zalien paraphernalia (including face paint) were looking at me like I was the crazy one.

"Um, of course!" They shouted in unison. Creepy. As more and more time goes by, I get more and more terrified that they really will get married and want to live with me. I was about to reply when the door to the bus bathroom shot open with a bang.

"ZALIEN BRAIN SUCK!" Austin shouted with glee as he leaped through the door, throwing his hands atop Trish's and Dez's heads. The three proceeded to make that bizarre brain sucking noise while shaking as if they were made of jello. I'd join in, but it didn't go exactly well the last time. Us writer girls just fail at thievery of the cerebral nature, I guess.

"Austin, are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Post brain-sucked Dez asked, his eyes going wide.

"Yeah, you sure? Nothing but zaliens - all night long!" Trish grinned and tapped her gloved fingers together, no doubt plotting ways to startle new movie-goers.

"Nah, I'm good." He shrugged, walking to my side. "Today's concert was intense," he picked up his arm to rest his elbow on my shoulder, "and I'm beat. Besides," Austin shook his head slightly, a few drops of water leftover from his recent shower hit my skin, "someone should keep Ally company." He turned towards me and smirked.

I couldn't help the smile that bloomed on my face in return. "As long as you're not too tired to help me with some songs?" I asked hopefully.

"Are you kidding?" His elbow slipped off my shoulder as his hand then reached around my back to squeeze me into his side. "That's the reason you're with us right now!" His chin tilted down towards mine, a lock of blond hair slipping down to partially shield one eye. "You know I'd always help you."

"That's so sweet, Austin, thank you," was my customary and sincere response. My hand trailed across his lower back to give him a gentle squeeze as well.

"Awwww… "

"I know, I'm a nice guy…"

"Huh?" Dez looked towards us blankly. "Oh, not you. I was just thinking about how cute it would be to have a chicken on the bus." His eyes shone with childlike glee. "I could name him Clucky, and he'd give us all the eggs we would ever need-"

"Ugh, who cares! Come on, Dez, we're going to be late," Trish grabbed Dez by the shoulder, dragging him towards the front of the bus. "You kids have fun, see you in the morning!" She threw me a blatant wink over her shoulder, thankfully behind Austin's back.

A second later we heard the door to the bus close with a slam. For once, there was silence. His hand continued to create a patch of warmth on my side and I felt his breathe ruffle the hair on top of my head. I found my fingers unconsciously tracing small nonsensical patterns on the top edge of his hip. How long would we end up standing like this? Should I turn and make this into a hug? Would that be weird? I feel like if there was going to be a hug, I maybe missed my opening by around two minutes. And how is he always so warm? His body like, radiates heat. And I wonder what-

"So." He broke the silence and startled me out of my rambling thoughts so suddenly that I jumped away from him with a squeak. "Woh, sorry!" His hands came up in a warding off gesture. "Good thing we didn't end up joining them," his eyes crinkled with mirth, "someone's a little jumpy." He reached out to boop my nose.

"Don't boop my nose." Austin cringed slightly and stepped back, shoving his hands into the pockets of his pajama pants. His look of consternation lasted for about a good second before a giant smile appeared on his face again and he lunged towards me with a laugh.

"I'm so glad you're here, Ally," his arms pulled me against him while my own automatically came up to link behind his neck. "Even if it is just to tell me not to boop your nose," he pushed his face further into the crook of my neck, "or not to touch your book." His soft words tickled my neck.

"I'm glad I'm here too, Austin." My words came out in a whisper, my eyes closing as I relished the warmth of his embrace. I curled the tips of my fingers into his hair, so soft. His arms tightened even more, if that was possible, around my small frame - he always makes me feel so tiny when he holds me like this. So tiny and safe and protected and wow, this is a long hug. A long, amazing, god I missed this, hug that I really should stop because things are going to get confusing. Oh, to be the rational person in this relation-friendship. . in this friendship. Because Austin and I are friends. Friends and partners. Friends and partners who happen to hug a lot. Friends and partners who hug a lot for long moments but not too long, and ok, Ally, enough stalling.

"So," I took a step back, my hands trailing down his shoulders. Pull away, Ally. Hands off, Ally. Ok, good. Now take another step back so you don't have to look so far up to make eye contact. "Time to write some music?"

The right corner of his lips tilted upward, and his brown eyes fairly sparkled in the soft lighting of the bus. "Yeah, let's get to it."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own "Ausin & Ally" and all songs used in this fic belong to Avril Lavigne. What can I say, I was inspired. ^_^

I'm in trouble. Ally, you dummy, did you think this through at all? Even just a little, teesy-weesie bit? Here we are, together on the side bench serving as a couch, me behind a dinky two-octave keyboard that, let's face it, does not have the best sound quality, and him cradling a guitar. My battered song book lay closed between us, our one divider. Closed because I have yet to open it. Still closed because, to pay homage to Cheetah Beat's youngest reporter, I am sitting here quietly fah-reaking, like toats for sure. And why am I having this quiet conniption fit, do you ask? Because somebody didn't realize that when she asked a certain someone else to help her finish some currently unfinished songs, that original someone conveniently forgot that those currently unfinished songs are all about that someone else that's supposed to help her. The original someone being me, Ally Dawson, the someone else being- god! The songs are all about Austin! Not just a little bit, not just a causal reference - they are totally and completely all about him! But, who knows, maybe he won't figure it out. . . after all, he didn't know there were two Portlands. . . or two Washingtons. . . someone really has to get that boy a map. .

"Ally?" Huh?

"Huh- I mean, yes?" I looked over to that someone else to find him watching me with concerned eyes.

"We've been sitting here for five minutes and you haven't said a word," his left index finger pressed down on a fret furthest from the body of the guitar, "are you," he plucked the low E string while simultaneously running his taunt digit down the neck of the instrument, "ok?"

"Ok?" I inwardly winced as my voice mimicked the octave slide up from the F#. "Psssh! Um, of course I am!" I grinned widely and reached out to give him a friendly punch on the upperarm.

"Ow!" I've got to stop doing that. He rolled his eyes at me as his right hand came up to rub his shoulder. "So, since you're ok," he copied my embarassing vocal movement, "you wanna get started?" He reached towards my book, "Let's see what you got in-" I quickly reached out and grabbed my book.

"Not so fast, Austin Monica Moon."

"Can't blame a guy for trying, Ally Still-Don't-Know-Your-Middle-Name Dawson."

"And you never will," I grinned slyly in response and opened up my songbook to a dogeared page. Alright, we can do this, Allygator. Positive thinking! Besides, even if he does figure out these are about him, it's no big deal! He writes songs about you all the time - ok, not all the time, just the one time really. Although I really should ask him about 'Chasing the Beat of my Heart.' If he can write those words without things getting weird between us, then these songs should be no problem. Right. "So," I plopped the open book down between us, "these are the names of some of the stuff I've been a little stuck on."

"What's been getting you stuck?" He set his guitar to the side and flopped down onto his stomach, his chin cradled in his hands as he glanced down at the titles.

"Some need another verse, some need a chorus, some of them are just missing," I shrugged, "I don't know, something. Maybe tempo changes? Maybe a key change?" I shifted my body until it was mirroring his. "I guess I was also just really having a hard time focusing." My eyes lifted to his. People are always going on about how blue eyes are the way to go, but his dark brown eyes have such soul in them. "I'd get inspired, start a song. .. lose focus and then when I would try to go back to that song, I'd just start writing a whole new one." He laughed.

"So you don't really need me to inspire you, you just need me to ground you." Hah, that's what you think, Mr. Moon. He smiled wryly and those dark brown eyes of his left mine to peruse my list. "Hmm. . . 'Stop Standing There', 'I Like You', 'Everybody Hurts' - isn't that an REM song?"

"There are tons of songs that have the same titles!"

"Alright, alright. . . '4 Real', 'Sippin' On Sunshine', and 'Falling Fast.'" He sat up and grabbed the neck of his guitar again. "So what do you want to start with?" He stood up and rotated his shoulders, "something upbeat?" Austin then did his signature spin move, while holding the guitar. I both love and hate when he does that, so jealous. But, whatever, I still got the Ally Way. "Get the creative juices flowing?"

"Sure," I sat up, taking my songbook with me. "Um, there's 'Sippin' On Sunshine'. My attempt at my own hot summer jam." I flipped through a couple of pages to get to the appropriate lyrics.

"A summer jam, always a good place to start. Give me what ya got so far."

"Okay, well it's in four," I propped the book onto the flimsy music stand stuck into the keyboard, "in G Major." I counted off four beats then placed my hands on the keys.

_Boy you get me so high_

_Buzzing like a bee, beehive_

_It's just a little kiss,_

_But when it hits my lips_

_I'm sipping on sunshine_

Austin's eyebrows rose slightly at the word 'kiss' but hey, if I don't make a big deal out of it, it's no big deal, right? So maaaaybe I started writing this the night after we kissed. So maaaaaybe he's sunshine and this was supposed to be our summer together, and the real reason it's unfinished is that I couldn't stand playing it knowing we were spending the whole summer apart. No big deal, though. No siree, everything's cool.

_Boy you're lookin so fly,_

_Hotter than July_

_I just wanna stay_

_Forever and today_

_Sippin' on Sunshine_

"And here's the chords I want for the refrain," I played the chords in the groove I liked, "G major, C Major, D Major, e minor, then back to D, no words yet though. And then the chorus."

_Hey, what a beautiful day,_

_All I need is a taste_

_Nothing but a good time_

_Sipping on sunshine_

_No, don't got nowhere to go_

_So we'll go with the flow,_

_Yeah we're living the life,_

_Sippin' on Sunshine_

"So that's the idea," I stood and held my book in front of his face, "I have another verse, but it's the refrain that's really eluding me."

"Ally, that song rocks!" He leaned forward to check out the other verse. His hands automatically started strumming as he sang the next verse.

_Girl, you're blowing my mind_

_You got me up on cloud nine_

_Just a little taste, I wouldn't wanna waste_

_A sip of the sunshine_

"'Girl' you're blowing my mind?"

"Dude, I'm a dude. And this dude sings about girls,"Of course he does, and it was definitely my imagination that his eyes flicked over to my mouth on the lines that followed. Definitely. Totally. Ally, get a grip.

_We can kick it all night_

_Underneath the moonlight_

_But when the party ends we'll do it all again_

He continued to play through the chords of the refrain, his brow furrowed in thought. "Hmm, ok so the song's about summer," he abruptly stopped strumming. "Ally, I know what you're missing. And you, being you, I'm not surprised you missed it." I quirked an eyebrow in reponse. "Um, duh, the beach!" He jumped into the chords of the refrain once more, this time adding his pure tenor tones.

_Down at the beach,_

_You holding my hand_

_Got an umbrella_

_Stuck in the sand_

_Watching the waves_

_Crash into the shore_

_Baby I want some more_

I jumped to my feet and ran around the keyboard. "Austin, that's it! It's perfect!"

Austin shrugged and let his guitar swing on it's strap to rest it's body against his back. "Come on, Ally, are you really that surprised? We haven't worked on a song together in two months! Of course it's going to click right away!" He stepped forward and grasped my hands. "I told you. When it's you and me, everything is just. . .just better. We're perfect." His voice had dropped lower and I felt myself gravitating towards him. "Perfect partners," he finished with a squeeze of my hands. Then suddenly the moment was over and he was walking away from me and back to the songbook left on the keyboard. "What do you want to work on next?"

This was going to be a long night.


End file.
